MEET Apache, the Red Indian. No, it's not a bare-chested, brawny man with a painted face and feather headgear but a scrawny, orphaned little monkey in skirt!

Found abandoned in a jungle in Port Dickson, the baby monkey - hardly four months old then - was nursed and raised by a villager. After a few months, the villager thought it was time to release it back into the jungle. But the villager's friend, Noorizan, stopped him from doing so.

Noorizan, who works at the Eagle Ranch Resort in PD, was worried that the monkey could not survive on its own in the jungle. He took the female monkey in to join one big happy family of caring staff and... a stable of handsome horses - Ringo, Star, Yesi, Fair View and others, as well as free-roaming goats, hens and turkeys.

There are also rabbits in a small enclosure, ducks in fish ponds and scurrying squirrels and soaring eagles.

Apache has found her home in the animal-friendly resort - a home on the ranch where people can go "yee haw" and "howdy" and stay in tepees, log cabins or wagon-like houses, surrounded by hills in the distance.

Be Like Tonto Or Raikkonen

Apache, the orphaned monkey, with its new-found friends at the resort.

The resort is like a little Cowboy and Red Indian village with Malay-style houses thrown in. Call it a mix of the East and West.

Sprawled on rugged land with the sea just a few minutes' walk away, the resort promises a fun-filled time.

To best enjoy a holiday there, go in a group and paint the place red - ride like the Lone Ranger or Tonto along the many rugged trails, or drive like Kimi Raikkonen at the go-kart track (never mind that your mean machine there is not a Ferrari).

Shoot like Rambo at the paintball field or croon like Kenny Rogers at the karaoke lounge.

If it's fun you're looking for, you'll find plenty of it there. But, there are pockets of areas where you can still have a quiet sojourn, like when you trek in the nearby forest or walk to the quiet, isolated beach.

With advance arrangements with the resort, you can camp, build a bonfire and have a barbecue by the beach. Or you may like to have a barbecue at the tepee village and play games around a totem pole.

Fun And More Fun

The noisiest area is the swimming pool where groups often play water polo or simply splash about in the water. A jacuzzi there will give you a pleasurable bubble rub. For a real massage and scrub, escape to the Rub n Tub, a spa for whole body treatment with a free footbath thrown in!

The little ones have their own shallow pool, so there's no worry of them ambling over to the adult infinity pool. There are plenty of lazy chairs and covered areas for parents to take shelter and keep an eye on the kids.

For the older kids or those who join team-building or management games, the area near the pool is dotted with planks and all kinds of gadgets and obstacles for games like Bridge Over Trouble Water, Cross River Kwan and Spider Web.

Those who love activity-filled holidays may find a one-night stay at the resort simply not enough for there are so many things to do.

It's simply not the kind of place for you to chill out in the rooms. The action is out there in the open and it's up to you to choose what you fancy.

Things To Do

Pony rides are just one of many fun activities at the resort.

Race at the go kart track, shoot arrows at the archery, canoe at sea or pond, ride horses at the equestrian park or along horse trails and take joy rides on ponies.

You may also play management games, telematches and hunt for "treasures", play water games and go for a water confidence course at the swimming pool or simply relax at the jacuzzi and spa.

For more action, trek the jungle, tackle the obstacle course, try the flying fox, go abseiling or play paintball.

Corporate groups can take up the Corporate Challenge that can be packaged in meetings, seminars and team-building programmes.

There are also facilities for basketball, futsal, table tennis, darts, beach volleyball, chip and putt, and also sea rafting.

To chill out, there are the karaoke lounge, bars and restaurants, including the hip and happening Watering Hole, spotting a typical cowboy joint as well as open-air F&B areas - Open Barrel, Eagle Square and the pool side.

Where To Stay

You have several choices of accommodation, including log cabin and dorm, paddock chalet and dorm, tepee, wagon house and kampung house.

Rates range from RM23 per day per person (weekday) to RM199 per unit (weekend stay in chalet, cabin or kampung house).

Rooms can also be packaged with selected activities. Several packages are available such as Eagle Basic (RM130 for two) and Eagle Experience (RM488 for two).

Rates for activities start from as low as RM5 per person for 10-minute canoeing at the fish pond to RM650 for the paintball game, using maximum 2,000 balls.

For details, call the resort at 06-6610 495, email info@eagleranch.com.my or go to www.eagleranch.com.my

How To Get There

The resort is located at Lot 544, Batu 14, Jalan Pantai, Port Dickson. From PD town, head to Teluk Kemang and drive towards Pasir Panjang. Batu 14 is about 15 minutes' drive from Teluk Kemang and past the Blue Lagoon and Palm Springs Resort. You can see signboards pointing to the Eagle Ranch Resort after driving for about 10 minutes from Teluk Kemang.

Pictures by Zaaba Johar